"ISLAM, THE CLOAK OF ANTICHRIST", by Jack Smith

The following is my review of WinePress Publishing's new release, written by Jack Smith, "Islam: the Cloak of Antichrist".  

First, I feel obligation to inform you that this book is a thick and slow read.  Although a heavy read, it's not boring by any stretch of the imagination.  Be warned: Do not think you will simply skim through it if you hope to take anything away from it.  Instead, I would suggest having your Bible (and even a Qu'ran if you can get your hands on a free one) next to you for reference and cross-reference as you go.  This book was thoroughly researched and referenced.  Of it's 350 pages, 50 pages consist of Smith's bibliography.

THEME: The basic premise of the book is this: Satan hides himself in his deceptions, never showing his face.  Instead of revealing his hand, he disguises himself as an angel of light.  He's sneaky and he's witty, but he also knows he's defeated.  That's why he must deceive and trick.  Islam, says Smith, is his cloak of deception; it's his "religion of peace".  Not true peace, but the kind of peace that only comes by submitting to Islam. 

FORMAT: As far as the format goes, I absolutely appreciated the way Smith put the book together.  He begins with the basics of Islam, so even if the reader knows absolutely nothing about Islam, s/he will by the end of the book.  Smith then builds each chapter upon the preceding chapter(s).  But he doesn't simply present facts and references just once, expecting his readers to remember it all at first glance.  Instead, he repeats the foundations over and over again as those facts weave their way into the big-picture story.

MID-TRIB / PRE-WRATH: For those afraid to consider the possibility of any eschatological view other than a pre-trib rapture, you may as well ignore this book.  But if you are looking into differing opinions on the matter, this book is a great start.  Smith lays out his interpretation of biblical eschatology quite convincingly.  I think many people are in the same boat in which I find myself: pieces of each theory sound plausible, but I just don't know how to piece them all together. 

Smith's eschatological view is A "Mid-tribulation / Pre-Wrath" rapture of the saints.  Smith presents his reasoning that saints will endure the first half (3 1/2 years) of the Great 7-Year Tribulation, the onslaught of the Beast.  At the Tribulation's mid-point, the saints will be raptured away.  After the saints are removed, the final half (another 3 1/2 years) of great distress will be reserved for the Beast and those who follow him and his religion: Islam. 
I had one difficulty with the book.  Near the latter quarter of the book, Smith explains how Islam ties in with the eschatological view he presents.  There, he details the alliances of countries that make up "Gog" in the great, final battle.  Due in part to my confusion, in part to my skepticism due to past teaching I've received, and in part to the sheer amount of information, he lost me.  Not because I disagreed or thought he wrote something wrong/bad, but because it was just so much packed into a short space of the book that I found myself losing focus.  I had to re-read several sections in the latter parts of the book.  All that said, it's likely just a difficulty I had.  But I appreciated the applications Smith presented.
Most interestingly, this book is more than a simple theory of what he believes the last days will look like.  Smith reveals how Islamic prophecy is actually very much in line with Christian prophecy.  (You may need to read the book in order to fully understand that statement.) He reveals how Satan has always had his hand on the scabbard throughout history, and how he is wielding his sword with more fervor in these final days approaching the end of days.  He reveals many things that have been kept from our eyes, and much of it is not pleasant.

CONCLUSION: Whether or not one agrees with Smith's final eschatological assessment, we are none-the-less forced to answer one question, as stated in the forward by Timothy R. Furnish, PhD: "...what all Christians should keep in mind as they read this excellent and well-researched book is this: pre-, a-, or even post-millenialism isn't the key issue; rather, how Christians will respond to Islam is."

WEBSITE: A website for the book is available to read portions of the book and to listen to lectures via WMA files.  There is also an interactive blog that connects prophecy with current events.

AUDIO CONTENT: Unfortunately, the audio content on the website is in WMA format, rather than MP3 or WAV.  So it is not compatible with iTunes or MP3 players in that format.  But this is my review of his book, not his website.  This part is just added bonus material.

RATING: The Cloak of Antichrist will open your eyes to what is occurring in our current events.  On a 5-star scale, I give "Islam, the Cloak of Antichrist" a well-deserved 5 stars!  This one is a must-have for those interested in Islam, Eschatology, and/or Prophecy.


Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from WinePress Publishing in exchange for my unbiased review.  I was not threatened, coerced, or promised favors in exchange for a positive review.  All opinions in this review are mine.

#1 - WE ARE YOUR WORST CRITICS

#1 - We like to point fingers in judgment

If you don't agree with us, you better run for cover.
If you don't live the life we think you should, look out.

When I was a young Christian lad, I was one of those people who was self-righteous, "holier than thou", judgmental.  Whatever it is we want to call it, I was that guy.  I always looked down my nose at others who weren't living their lives as good as I was.  This was especially true of other Christians.  Rather than personally helping a weaker brother or sister in Christ, I made sure to point out to them how weak they were.

I was this way for much of my young-adult life, too.  That is, until I started my career in 1998.  When I was a young cop, I drifted away from Christ for about 3 years.  I was a "player" and a drinker.  I chased women like a kid in a candy store, and I drank to get drunk.  Suddenly, the people who were once my cohorts in judgment, were now my judges.  I had the fingers pointed at me, suggesting how terrible I was.

I always sensed the Spirit of God gently nudging/pulling me back to Himself, convicting me of my sin, but never condemning me.  His saints took care of that part for Him.  (I say that tongue-in-cheek).  One night, I prayed kneeling beside my bed, saying, "God, if I'm going to come back to you, I don't want to be "that guy" any longer.  I don't like the fingers pointed at me.  I don't want to do the same to others who may be weaker.

Today, I find it difficult to judge another man/woman for their life choices.  Sure, I may not agree with them, but you know what?  I've done some pretty sickening things in my life.  I have no room to talk, the way I see it.  I have no right to point fingers.  When I grow judgmental, I get punched in the face for breaking my vow.  I quickly have to repent.

Sadly, too many of us Christians are "that guy".  We love pointing fingers and making people feel worse about themselves and their situation than they already do.  The topics are endless: Divorce, Abortion, Alcohol, Tobacco use, Porn, Fatness, Foul language, etc.

But guess what.  I have a secret.  Shhhhhhhhhh.  Don't tell anybody.  I know Christians who have done alllllllllll of those things, and then some.

We are hypocrites in the worst way.  (Yeah, yeah, I know...the entire world is full of hypocrites in every walk of life.  But WE ought to set the example.)  Yes, we agree, the church is full of hypocrites.  A good many of us recognize our hypocrisy and we are working on eliminating it.  But far too many of us put on a mask that we grabbed out of the closet, speak out of both sides of our mouths, and then deride others for their bad choices.

May God have mercy on us.

#2 - WE PROSELYTIZE FOR WRONG REASONS

#2 - We proselytize because it makes us feel good about ourselves

I'll probably take a bit of flak for this one, but that's ok.  The idea behind this experiment is to get people thinking and talking about issues we may disagree upon and possibly re-think our positions.  So, I'll just dive right in. 

I don't fully agree with short-term missions trips.  There, I said it.

When I say "fully", I mean that there are some aspects with which I agree.  I agree with helping people and doing work they may not be able to do themselves, or getting them supplies to which they may not normally have access.  We are in a wealthy nation and in a good position to help people in need.

But the bulk of my angst stems from wondering what the motive is behind short-term missions trips. 

"It's our desire to take the gospel into all the world, as commanded by the Scriptures", many would say.  But if that's the case, why aren't we making these trips life-missions?  Why go to Africa for only 10 days?  How much can we possibly accomplish in such a short time? 

"We're part of a larger organization where teams accomplish specific tasks before the next team comes in to complete their task."

Would humanity be better rewarded for long-term commitment instead of short-?  What kind of impact would it have on the missionaries and the locals to know Christians are committed to people for the long-haul instead of just the trip across town?

If we're serious about seeing people in Africa fed and clothed, then why not take a sabbatical from our careers for a year and really do business?  Obviously, I wouldn't expect many of us to do this.  It would be very difficult to pack up the family and go when there are obligations and bills to pay at home.  But if we're serious, then it seems we'll make it happen.  Why not go long enough to actually build relationships with people, rather than simply performing a drive-by?

It is my opinion that the primary reason Christians embark upon these short-term missions excursions is to learn something about ourselves, or to feel good about getting our hands dirty for Jesus.  But we can only commit to one week!  It is my secondary opinion that we do them because we want to see another part of the world, so we may as well do something "good" while we're at it.  The trip is the vehicle; the mission is the third-wheel.

The point is this: We don't need to fly to the opposite side of the globe in order to help hurting people or to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  We all know neighborhoods in our immediate communities that need help and who need Jesus.  There are several area agencies that can help point us in the right direction.  There are even agencies that already have the ball rolling and they're simply in need of our help.

It is very difficult for Christians to get dirty with people close to us at home. 

I'll state it another way. 

It's much too easy to do drive-by missions.  After all, we can leave in a week without further commitment.  Missions abroad requires little more than a plane ticket, while missions at home requires on-going commitment.

Is it time for us to stop being commitment-phobes?

Is it time we "put up, or shut up", so to speak?

Jesus didn't have it easy.  He busied Himself with the work of the Kingdom.

Are we too busy with Wii and sports on TV and 4-wheeling and studying and reading and........?

Are we too busy to commit to people, especially when we believe eternity is on the line?

#3 - THE BIG AGENDA:

#3 - We have a difficult time making friends without an agenda to proselytize them

So far, I think this will be my most challenging rant because I want to be understanding of unbelievers' gripes about Christians, yet I want to be faithful to God's word and the Christian's commission.  It is difficult because I know I am violating the #1 crime I think Christians commit -- judging.  Also, I don't have the time to delve into the deep theology of the sovereignty of God in mans' salvation here.  I'm just going to address the surface issues.

I have a co-worker who turns every -- I mean EVERY -- conversation into Jesus.  While I admire his tenacity, the "Jesus talk" gets tiring.  Quickly.  When we're talking football or trucks, we're not talking about Jesus throwing a touchdown or torquing a wrench.  While typing a report on a Sunday afternoon, a song played on the computer.  He walked in and, without saying hello, said, "You're listening to that?  And on the Lord's day?"  (And no, it wasn't a bad song.  Just a secular one.)  The guy doesn't come across as sharing the good news of salvation.  Instead, it's more as if he simply wants people to know how great a Christian he is by adding Christian-ese jargon to every possible conversation on the planet. 

Oh, there's no doubt about knowing he's a believer.  The result, however, is that people dread talking to him.  And I don't blame them one bit; I feel the same way!  What good is your witness if people don't care to talk to you?  The same is true for all types of conversation.  If all I talked day-in and day-out, from sun-up to sun-down, was police stuff, people -- including my wife and friends -- would puke with excitement whenever another opportunity at conversation with me arose.

The same goes for the Christian-ese conversation pieces.  I love Jesus with all of my being, and I enjoy turning bane conversations into spiritual conversations.  But sometimes I want to talk baseball, or books, or exercise.  And that's what my friends want to talk about also -- WITHOUT DREADING BEING PROSELYTIZED.  My co-worker has very good intentions, but it comes across the wrong way.  It gives others the perception that he's not really as interested in them as he is in cramming the gospel in their faces.

This is where it is absolutely paramount for us Christians to trust the Holy Spirit for the power of convincing, convicting, and conversion.  In explaining the Kingdom of God, Jesus told a parable of the soils, where seed (the message of Jesus) is scattered on various types of soil (people).  Inherent in the parable is the understanding that the farmer has two basic jobs: First, to prepare the ground by weeding, tilling, etc.  Second, to scatter the seed, but only after the ground was prepared.  If he scattered before the ground was prepared, the soil wouldn't receive it and his efforts would be a wasted.  The remainder -- ie, the watering and the growing -- were left up to God through nature.

The parable applies to our witness to the world.  I find it careless to throw out the "seed" (the gospel) if/when people are not prepared to receive it.  Build trust; build rapport.  Trust the Holy Spirit for two things: to prepare people to receive and prompt us to speak when the time is right.  We have to understand that the Holy Spirit is doing and will do His job.  Remember, It is His job to water and grow the seed in a person.  Not ours. 

"We must go make disciples of all nations", someone will say. 
"But Rome wasn't built in a day", I would reply.
Growth takes time.  Coming to Jesus is sometimes -- often times -- a difficult decision for a person to make.  No doubt, it is the most crucial decision anyone can make.  But it takes time, like slow-cook simmering food in a pan. 

When we grow close with people simply because they are our friends, we will know/sense proper timing of opportunities to share the gospel.  I think we need to be cautious about making friends simply so we have more people to proselytize -- or cram.  When the time is right, we must share; but when it's wrong, we must wait patiently.  We need to accept the fact that maybe we are not the one to share to the person.  But we also must be ready to share when we are called upon to do so. 

As Mr. Miyagi once said, "Patience, Danyoson."  Don't be afraid to be a friend.  If you've tried to share the gospel and it is rejected, give it some time.  But if you push it, you may push the person further away.  In the meantime, just be a friend.

#4 - WE ARE IN LOVE WITH OURSELVES

#4 - WE ARE PRIDEFUL...

...and we like it. 
We love it, actually. 
Because it proves to us we are better than everybody else.
You see, at the center of this thing we call ChristIanity is "I"...big fat I. 
Don't you see it in there?
And "I" spells "ME" all day long!
While there may be no "I" in "team", there sure is in Christianity.

And that philosophy carries over to the gospel.
I am at the center of the gospel.
The gospel is all about what Jesus did for ME...
...and how He pursues ME to be in relationship with Him.
We have turned the message of the gospel into all that Jesus wants to do for US,
and how we wants to do nothing less than bless US.

But, ironically, we forget that Jesus died for people just like us, and that He is right now calling "them" -- US -- to Him.
Oh how quickly we forgot that we were ugly people when that happened. 

After all, He died on the cross for ME, right?
We have gotten so much in the way that we have forgetten that Jesus died on the cross for HIM.
We forget that it glorified God to offer Jesus on the Cross for our sin, and that it was all about HIM. 
It was -- and still is -- about HIS glory.
Not ours.

If it was about US, then we wouldn't need Him...
...but what He wants
is for US
to need HIM.

But our pride gets in the way of needing Him.
And if our foolish pride gets in the way of God, then you can be sure it gets in the way of other people who are watching us.

#5 - WE ARE BIBLICALLY ILLITERATE

Maybe someone's joining us half-way through this experiment.  If that's the case, maybe you're wondering what I'm up to.  I took a challenge from a friend to be "anti-religion" from a Christian perspective for one week.  I began with a "Top 10 list of senseless things Christians do" and chose to use those items as springboards for each of these "rants".  We may not like it much, but sometimes it's not a bad idea to look critically at who we are or what we do (religious, political, racial, etc) from a different point of view.  That is this series.

#5 - We are biblically illiterate

Sad, but true.  Painfully true.  I have unbelieving friends who know the big-picture story of the Bible better than many Christians I know.  It seems like people who call themselves by Jesus' name should know the Book that is inseparable from His name.  But rather than blather on, I will cite others who have written entire articles on the topic. 

Here are just a few of the statistics:
Many professing Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples.
Seven out of ten born again Christians said they do not believe in moral absolutes.
Only one out of ten Christians base their moral decision-making on the principles taught in the Bible.

Why can't we name them?  Because we're not in God's word.  No just "not enough", but hardly at all.
How can we possibly have moral absolutes when we lack a basis for understanding?

Why does this happen?  One author has opined on that very question. "There are, no doubt, many reasons for the current predicament. In general we spend far less time reading anything at all in this culture, much less dense and demanding books like the Bible."

My beef is not with unbelievers, but with professing, faithful Christians.  One article cited the following: "Eikenberry asked churches and youth pastors in West Michigan to administer a simple biblical literacy survey to parishioners. "The scores were just atrocious," he said. "I don't expect those outside Christianity to know the Christian book, but shouldn't people of the Book be familiar with it?"

I cannot help but to agree with the Associates for Biblical Research: "The Church Has Been “Dumbed Down” by the Culture".  Culture tells us, "If it feels good, it must be right."  Culture has demanded we read short blips of information (ie, Facebook, Twitter, etc) rather than full tomes.  How can a Christian today possibly understand the whole of scripture when we read a sparse verse here or there?

From the Barna Group:
"Adults who attend small churches - i.e., those averaging fewer than 100 adults on a typical weekend - were more likely than people attending larger congregations to admit to struggling with Bible knowledge and consistently practicing their faith principles."

For those who think their large churches are immune from the problem, here's one for you: "Those who attend mainline Protestant churches were more likely than people who attend other Protestant congregations to rate themselves below average in worship, sharing their faith, and Bible knowledge."

C'mon, brothers and sisters.  This is truly disappointing and heart-breaking.  Utterly painful.  I think this issue lies at the center of all my rants, for it is probably THE major causal factor of the issues I've been addressing in this series.

Once again, the closing disclaimer: I know not ALL Christians are Biblical idiots.  A good many are literate, but even more are NOT.  The only way we can truly know God is by being in His word.  The Psalmist wrote that it was the only means to living in accordance with God's ways -- by hiding His word in our hearts, by seeking to understand it.  Sadly, this is far too uncommon.

#6 - WE WANT YOU HERE

#6 - We care more about you coming to "our church" rather than coming to our Jesus...

I've heard from several pastors over the years that I need to invite people to church.  Of course, they need to get saved.  Where else could they possibly do it except church?  (Yes, I say that a bit tongue-in-cheek.)  I understand the push, because there are a lot of Christians who can't really explain the message of salvation all that well.  They fully believe it in their hearts, but just cannot explain it convincingly.  So, it may very well be easier for that person to invite the friend to church instead, saving himself the embarrassment. 

I'm not standing in judgment of that person who cannot explain it well, because some people can't even explain our structure of government (ME) very well.  It would be of better service for me to direct an inquisitive foreigner to someone who understands it better than I do.  But I still have a general working knowledge of it.  That said, the responsibility lies with me in my ability to explain. 

Back to the Church, though.  I hold more judgment for our church leaders and mature Christians not explaining the big-picture story of the Bible to younger/newer Christians for them to better understand.  Again, this does not apply to all Christians in every church, but it does apply to a great many of them.  But, as is the case in my example of me learning the governmental system to explain it, shame on Christians for not taking education in God's word upon themselves.  (I'll stop there and save that rant for #5.)

I've long lived by the rule that when I share the gospel with someone, I try to put them in touch with decent churches in their relative area (if I know of any) where s/he can plug in.  Because I commuted 65 miles to work for a decade, most of my acquaintances, run-in's, and co-workers didn't live anywhere near me.  I didn't care to invite them to "my church" because I knew it was not practical for them to do so.  Instead, I wanted them to know Jesus and to be discipled in the gospel with a body of believers with whom they can fit in and grow accountable.  I wanted them to plug in with a church near them, not me.

Sadly, however, most proselytizing today comes in this form:
Guy 1: "Man, my church is really lame.  Can you believe what they did this time?" 
Guy 2: "Dude, that is such a bummer, because my church is rockin'.  You should come check it out sometime." 
And that, my friends, is the extent of "witnessing" many Christians today ever do.

"In his book entitled 'Exit Interviews,' William D. Hendricks writes something astonishing: 'Almost all growth reported by North American churches today is the result of CHURCH SWITCHING and birthrate within the churches rather than conversion growth.'"  

If we really cared about the lost coming to Jesus, we would bury our faces in our Bibles so we could better understand God;
We would bury our faces in good books to help us better explain the gospel;
We would pray for our unsaved loved ones, friends, and acquaintances a LOT more fervently than we do, and our hearts would be broken for them.
But we just want them to come to our church.  It's a whole lot easier.  I wonder if this phenomenon has anything to do with our craving to simply have our churches more populated on Sundays, i.e, higher attendance numbers.  Because a more populated church is a successful church, right?  I wonder if we're too hung up on numbers as indicators of success, rather than individual growth. 

Jesus told people, "Follow me", and He led them to God.  He didn't say, "Come check out my church."  I think we need to get back to Jesus' example and lead people to God by our own example, beckoning them, "Follow me."

#7 - WE MAJOR IN THE MINORS AND MINOR IN THE MAJORS

#7 - We major in the minors and minor in the majors.

We Christians like to bicker over relatively minor things, but seem to ignore much larger life-issues.  Once again, I recognize this is largely a human nature issue, but we Christians need to set a better example if we want the world to follow.  Therefore, this particular rant has more to do with how Christians behave WITHIN the church, but it impacts the way the world perceives us.

General examples include arguing over interior design and decoration of our churches, what kind of music will be played, whether or not drums and guitars are of the devil, and whether the King James is the only version authorized for use.  Seriously?  One particular Baptist church split over a piano bench dispute.  A PIANO BENCH!  Another split because a senior member didn't like a particular tempo and chord of one of her favorite hymns.  C'mon, people.  I'm sure there's more going on behind the scenes, but that's pretty fickle.

On a little weightier issue, one local church is currently splitting over a 5-point Calvinism dispute, and whether or not it should be preached.  I'm just about as Calvinistic as they come, but I actually understand the position of the "other side".  Rather than embracing differences on non-core issues (like eschatology or eternal security vs. free will), we drive wedges between ourselves and exclude those who are not like us in their beliefs.  On top of that, we make these debatable topics membership qualifications/disqualifications.  I think healthy debates within the church among Christians who believe differently from one another are very good things, for they inspire us to consider or re-consider our positions.  I've been on the "other side" of a couple issues, and I almost lost a dear friend over one of them. Was it worth it?  I think you know the answer.  Sadly, however, churches today are demonstrating that disagreement is unacceptable behavior. 

When our behavior is disagreeable, we split.  Instead, we prefer to focus on how the world ought to behave instead of working out our own personal holiness.  Sad, but true.  We're comfortable justifying our own sins while at the same time pointing out the sins of others. Quite honestly, I think we like discussing and debating the hot-topic moral issues du-jour only because it takes the spotlight of God's eyes off our own ugliness.

On the other side of the aisle are majors that we miss.  We want a bigger, nicer church, with up-to-date sound systems, and a glowing sign out front.  Don't get me wrong, I like those things too.  But when was the last time we thought of using all those THOUSANDS (if not millions) of dollars that are increasingly allocated toward our building program for feeding and clothing the poor in our communities?  I have a hunch poor people like and depend upon food and clothing more than we do our church upgrades (etc).  It's much too easy to give a bag of groceries or a couple hundred bucks here and there, but thousands?  That cuts too deep; It requires much sacrifice.

One church agreed to cut funding to a previously-sponsored missionary because, God forbid, that missionary doesn't teach the doctrine of the eternal security of believers.  Heretic alert, heretic alert!!!  Get him out of the mission field, now!!!  But I truly wonder if that will matter to God in the long run.  Ahhhh, what am I thinking?  No I don't.  While this particular missionary is praying for money to fix the bicycle he rides from village to village in the sweltering heat, we can be found reclining in our comfortable chairs, sipping lemonade, and cooling off inside the newly-renovated air conditioned building.  And we think cutting his funding over a debatable issue is prudent. 

Hmmmmmm.  God help us. 
Disclaimer: see #8, #9, and #10 disclaimer.  I think you get the idea...